Jung Joo-ri receives France’s Chevalier honor for ‘Dora’; Jang Byung-wook wins Korea’s first Angénieux award

Director beloved by Cannes receives France’s highest arts honor

Jung Joo-ri, director of the film ‘Dora’, has been awarded the rank of ‘Chevalier’ in France’s Order of Arts and Letters.

The Embassy of France in Korea announced on the 14th that it had presented the honor to Jung at the 2026 French Night event held on the 10th at the Paradise Hotel Busan. French Night is a major event organized to promote exchanges between filmmakers from the two countries during the 31st ‘Busan International Film Festival’, marking the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France.

France’s Order of Arts and Letters, administered by the country’s Ministry of Culture, is awarded after a rigorous review only to individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of culture and the arts worldwide. The ranks are ‘Chevalier’, Officer and Commander. All three of Jung Joo-ri’s feature films — her debut, ‘A Girl at My Door’ (2014, Un Certain Regard); ‘Next Sohee’ (2022, Critics’ Week); and her new film, ‘Dora’ (this year’s Directors’ Fortnight) — have been invited to the Cannes Film Festival, a rare achievement. ‘Dora’ is a global project co-produced by Korea, France and Luxembourg.

“The encouragement I received from audiences I met throughout France, including in Paris, gave me the courage to complete a collaborative film in an unprecedented form,” Jung said. “It reaffirmed the power of cinema to show that the lives portrayed in a film can become the story of all of us.”

Michel Miraillet, France’s acting ambassador to Korea, who presented the honor, praised Jung for “exceptional direction that portrays, with a delicate eye, the inconspicuous yet resilient characters in her work,” adding, “It would be no exaggeration to say that the Cannes Film Festival is now Jung’s most ardent supporter.”

First Angénieux award for Korean film industry affirms global visual artistry

Jang Byung-wook, cinematographer for the drama ‘Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’, elevated the standing of Korean visual art by becoming the first Korean recipient of the ‘Angénieux Cinematography Award’ for his outstanding visual work.

The prestigious award is presented during the Cannes Film Festival by Angénieux, a lens manufacturer owned by French multinational Thales Group, to a creative artist working behind the camera. Jang is the first Korean creator in the award’s history to receive the honor.

“The distinctive aesthetics and free creative spirit shown in French cinema have always been major milestones and sources of learning in my work,” Jang said. “I am honored to receive this first distinction in this meaningful year marking the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France.” He added, “I hope the cinema and art of the two countries will continue to develop deeper and richer ties.”

The event also drew about 150 leading filmmakers from both countries, including Park Kwang-soo, chairman of the ‘Busan International Film Festival’; director Judit Godrèche and actor Tess Barthélemy of ‘The Memory of That Girl’; and director Bertrand Mandico of ‘Roma Elastica.’

“The festival has served as a platform for introducing outstanding European films to Asia before anyone else,” Park said. “Starting with this event, I hope it becomes a venue for global exchanges where young creators from Korea and France can grow together.”